Good Morning
by RockedSocks
Summary: Jack and Kate and the morning after "All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues"


_Disclaimer: "Lost" and all related characters belong to ABC and JJ Abrams, who rocks my world and I'm going to build a shrine to in my apartment._

_Yep, taking pointless drivel to a whole new level! I'm working on a loooong, complicated, ambitious fanfic (yes, I AM working on it), and I was so blocked on it I was starting to look a little crazed, so lest my co-workers notice, I wrote this to get through my blocking._

**Good Morning**

When he woke up, he could see the sky through the canopy of trees. It was just starting to get light, changing from black to dark blue and purple, the stars still visible. There was always a moment of confusion when he first woke up before he remembered where they were, where ever it was. This morning, or almost morning, he was also wondering why he was sleeping on the hard, uncomfortable ground by the fire, and why his arm was asleep. He moved slightly, to sit up, but it was not only stiff muscles that stopped him, but a soft, sleepy sound of protest. He looked down in surprise and discovered exactly what was cutting off the circulation to his arm. Kate was curled up next to him, asleep, with her cheek resting on his shoulder, and her arm thrown across his chest.

The night before, despite his exhaustion, he had been unable to sleep, thoughts of his father, thoughts of finding Charlie hanging, thoughts of what Claire might still be going through were chasing each other through his head and he couldn't stop them long enough to rest. Charlie had finally slept, and he'd told Kate to get some rest as well, but she just shook her head, sitting next to him and staring into the fire. Her presence, her being there without making him talk was soothing, and finally his racing mind had slowed.

And now her presence was just as comforting. He could feel the steady rhythm of her heart, the slow, regular rise and fall of her breathing, and the way her hair was falling across his chest and tickling his cheek. She seemed to fit against him, perfectly in his arms, giving him something to hold onto even as everything else seemed beyond his control.

He knew he should get up, slip away before she woke up and it became awkward. Soon, it would be light, the others would be up and they would go out again and look for Claire, but Jack stayed for just a little while longer.

It wasn't quite light yet, but she woke up as something, or rather someone, next to her shifted slightly. She made a small sound of annoyance, because since they had come to the island she had never slept so well, or so deeply. She slowly became aware of where she was, next to the fire that had nearly burned out, her head on Jack's shoulder, his arms around her.

She hadn't wanted to leave him the night before. She would say that she was worried about him, that she was worried about Charlie, but the truth was she had wanted to stay. Even saying nothing, even just staring into the fire, she had needed to be near him. They should have been happy, and there had been moments- moments of soaring happiness when Charlie finally started gasping for breath. But their joy at finding him, and at him being alive, was muted by the fact that Claire was still out there.

Exhaustion had finally gotten the better of both of them, and for once there had been no nightmares. No faceless people chasing her, no planes crashing, or terrifying shapeless monsters, just a perfect feeling of safety and contentment. She knew if he woke up it would be awkward, this was too close, too intimate, but now, while he slept, she tightened her arms around him and sighed, letting his heartbeat lull her back to sleep.

He felt her slip away from him, and pretended to be still asleep, to avoid the awkward moment he knew was inevitable if either of them acknowledged she'd been sleeping in his arms, but he knew it would be that moment of waking that he would hold onto and come back to when he needed a moment of peace. He waited long enough, wondering if she knew he was awake and they were playing a game, but willing to play along anyway. When he finally did open his eyes, she was sitting on the other side of the fire, trying to get it going again. She looked up, and smiled at him.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"


End file.
